Bo
by kazumigirl
Summary: Slade has really got the Titans in a pickle this time...when he gives them a toddler! Of course, they're only teenage superheroes, not parents. Is that why Raven is actually smiling?
1. Bojangles

Bo

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own **_**Teen Titans**_**, but I wish I did b/c then it wouldn't be cancelled and all of our unanswered questions would be answered.**

The alarm sounded all over the tower. It was four a.m. Not a good time for an emergency. Super hero or not, the early hours of the morning being interrupted was every sleeper's worst nightmare. One by one, except for Beastboy who slept through everything, the Titans groggily got out of bed and stripped out of their pjs and into their clothes. They made their way to the living room where the large screen projected an image of Slade. Robin growled, Raven blinked sleepily, Starfire yawned, and Cyborg collapsed onto the sofa, groaning. Beastboy was still sound asleep in his bed, his room alarm still going off.

"Good morning, Titans, " Slade said. " And a very good morning to you, Robin."

Robin snarled at that particular comment and Starfire placed a hand on his shoulder to keep his feet on the ground. She yawned as she did so, still not fully awake. Slade made his usual comments about how he had placed this bomb under this bridge and this bank had been robbed…this was nothing new, and usually, it wasn't even true. The Titans had finally caught on to wait for his _real_ plan to go into action. After he finished telling them he would give them a certain amount of time to stop the bomb, and not one of the Titans budged, Slade chuckled.

"I guess that trick's getting a little old, isn't it?" He oozed. "Well, maybe I should try something a little different." He disappeared off of the screen for a moment, but they could still here his voice. "And when I say 'little' I mean _little_."

His masked face returned and the Titans suddenly woke up. In his arms was a small child, a baby maybe? A toddler? The little boy did not look like he was in danger, and solemnly sucked his thumb, watching the screen.

"Where did you get him?!" Robin demanded. "What are you planning to do to him?!"

"Now, now, Robin," Slade cooed, gently taking the baby's thumb out of his mouth. "There's no need to be jealous. After all, he's not even two." He stared back at the screen. "I'm sure you're all itching to know who he is, aren't you? This is my new apprentice."

"A baby?" Raven cocked an eyebrow. "You can't really expect us to believe that."

"It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not," Slade replied. "This child will be isolated from the world, trained like soldier. By the time he's ten, he'll be fit to take my place." His one exposed eye moved towards Robin. "Now _that's_ something to spark jealousy."

"You will do no such thing!" Starfire growled, her eyes glowing green.

Slade set the child down on the floor, off screen, and wailing could be heard. The Titans flinched angrily and worriedly. As the baby cried, Slade's eyes glittered with triumph. He examined his fingers as he said, "I'll be seeing you, Titans. As will my new apprentice." With that, he turned his back on them and the screen went black.

Robin raced towards the blank screen and kicked it as hard as he could, causing it to crack slightly. Starfire clasped her hands together and said, "We must find the baby! He is in very much danger!"

"Maybe this is just another one of Slade's tricks," Cyborg suggested. "I mean, like Rae said, who gets a baby as an apprentice?"

"That's not his plan," Robin said through gritted teeth. "Slade's expecting something from us, and he's using the kid as a target." He massaged his forehead for a moment with his fingertips and finally ordered, "Titans, go!"

--

Beastboy awoke to a strange noise. Of course, the alarm was still going off in his bedroom, but that was nothing new. He stumbled out of bed, digging around in his boxer shorts and went over to the wall to turn it off. However, the strange noise was still there. It was…no…no, he was imagining things, wasn't he? In his T-shirt and boxers he traveled to the living room and his eyes widened to see Raven sitting cross-legged on the floor, with a baby in her lap?! The baby was skinny with lanky legs with sandy blonde hair wearing a little black one-piece suit that showed his bare legs. It was making an array of babbling sounds, smiling and touching Raven's feet and hands. Beastboy hung back quietly, wondering if he was still asleep and perhaps dreaming. He watched skeptically as Raven smiled down at the baby, and then cocked her head slightly close to the baby's face. She then attacked him in a fit of kisses and the baby erupted into laughter. Beastboy shook his head slightly, deciding he had to be dreaming. However, it wasn't a bad dream. After all, Raven smiling and acting affectionate towards somebody? That was priceless in itself.

He silently made his way to the back of the couch and leaned over it so far that his feet were no longer touching the floor. The baby looked up at Raven and said, "Bah?"

Raven looked at him like she understood what he said and began tickling him, making the baby crack up all over again. She then stood up, the child in her arms, and kissed his head. "You are the best," she said quietly, chuckling slightly.

"Dah doh oh!" The baby spotted Beastboy and cast a finger at him, grinning. He had a few teeth, but they were so scattered around his mouth it looked like they were falling out rather than coming in.

Raven turned around and embarrassment immediately rose to her face. She cleared her throat and her face, giving a stony expression. "How long have you been awake?" She asked, which was basically code for, 'how long have you been standing there spying on me'.

"I heard a noise and came to investigate," the green boy replied, shrugging. "Um, whose kid is that?"

"I forgot you weren't awake when we went on our little rescue mission this morning," Raven said dryly, setting the baby down who had begun to squirm. "Slade gave us a little present."

Beastboy looked around. "Where's everyone else?"

"Still fighting him," Raven answered. "I opted to take him back to the tower." She watched as the baby began to run around in circles making loud, incoherent babble. "We don't know where he got him from."

"He's cute," Beastboy commented with a chuckle. "What's his name?"

"We don't know," Raven leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. "We don't anything about him."

"Well we can't just keep him here and not call him anything," Beastboy squinched up his nose. He then laughed as the toddler began to stomp his feet and wave his arms, smiling broadly as he held the Titans' attention. He fell down on his bottom and laughed again.

"Dude," Beastboy said, ignoring the fact that Raven did not like to be called 'Dude'. "He reminds me of that old actor from that movie we watched last night.

"You mean Bill Robinson the dancer?" Raven stared at the baby skeptically, mentally agreeing.

"What was that they called him?" Beastboy thought a moment. "Bippity? Booboo?"

"Bojangles," Raven corrected him.

"That's it!" Beastboy picked up the baby who immediately pulled one of his pointy ears. "We'll name him Bojangles!" He bounced the toddler slightly. "What do you think, Dude? Like it?"

"Bo?" The baby grinned and made a loud noise.

As Beastboy played with the baby, Raven watching the pair from the sofa, the rest of the Titans entered the tower. Starfire smiled and hovered over to the pair fawning over the new visitor. Raven walked over to Robin and Cyborg, giving them a questioning stare. "Well, how'd it go?" She asked. "What happened?"

"We have no info on the kid," Cyborg shrugged. "We don't know how Slade got him, why he had him, what he was planning to do with him." He sighed. "I guess the best thing is to take him to the police station."

"Because somebody might be missing him, right?" Beastboy asked, lying on his back with the baby on his stomach.

"Wrong," Robin replied. "We checked all of the missing persons files within the last three months. Nobody in the tri-city area is missing a baby, and even around the country, no missing child has his description."

"So why must we take him to the law office?" Starfire inquired, taking the baby from Beastboy and tickling his nose.

"We can't keep a baby here, "Robin scoffed, as if the very idea were a joke. "We're way too busy, and we don't know how to raise a kid." He glanced at Raven. "Cyborg and I will stay here and monitor the radars for Slade. Why don't you and Starfire take the baby downtown?"

Raven hesitated briefly. "But…well, what if Slade goes looking for _him_?" She glanced at the child who was fingering Starfire's long hair. "I mean, we don't Slade's objective."

Beastboy saw the desperation in Raven's face and he suddenly remembered what her face had looked like earlier when she and Bojangles were alone. He remembered how warm the smile on her face had been. Maybe the baby is just what Raven needed. Maybe she had been waiting for this all her life. Maybe they'd all been waiting for this. He stood beside her and said, "I'm with Raven. I mean, who knows? Maybe Slade is really out to hurt Bo."

" 'Bo'?" Cyborg repeated, cocking an eyebrow. "I think someone's gotten attached to the little toothless wonder." He grinned at Beastboy.

"Ugh!" Robin groaned, walking over to Starfire and taking Bo from her arms. "I'll take him myself. We don't have time for this, you guys."

Bo started to whimper and then cry, _loudly_. He reached for Raven, his little face red and wet with tears. Beastboy never expected her to actually take the baby from Robin. He'd always thought her pride, her token coolness was too much for her. However, that's exactly what she did. She ripped him right out of Robin's arms and a plate on the table exploded, signaling she had lost some control of her emotions. Bo sniffled a bit, but immediately forget about his despair and began playing with the pendant on Raven's cape. Robin gave the girl a funny look.

"I can't take that risk, Robin," she said. "I'm sorry. Bo stays."

The other Titans looked shocked, but Beastboy was smiling. Robin was too preoccupied with Slade to argue, so he left the tower in a huff. Cyborg left to monitor just as he and Robin had planned to do, and Starfire zoomed out of the tower, hoping to catch up with Robin and break him out of his 'tiz' as the other Titans secretly called them. Raven looked at Beastboy, her eyes avoiding his. She coughed awkwardly and said, "Um, Beastboy…about what you did earlier…um….".

"You're welcome," Beastboy grinned. He shrugged and said, "I kinda like the idea of us having a kid."

"You mean _the five_ of us having a kid," Raven frowned.

"That's what I said," Beastboy replied absent-mindedly. He began to make faces at little Bo who laughed and waved his arms.

--

The rest of the day was exhausting. Starfire and Beastboy had raced back and forth to the grocery store to buy diapers, powder, wipes, and other baby items. Little Bo demanded to be entertained constantly, and every time there was an emergency, somebody had to stay behind and look after him. It was usually Raven, but Starfire and Beastboy had filled in a couple of times. Bath time was certainly fun. Not one of the titans had ever bathed a baby before, and it turned out to be a lot more difficult than it appeared. Bo kept sucking water out of the wash cloth, shampoo got in his eyes twice, he splashed water all over the floor (Cyborg slipped three times), and by the time he was out and in a towel, Raven and Beastboy looked like they had just gotten out of the bath themselves. Bo ended up sleeping in Raven's bed with her, and he slept on his stomach with his butt in the air, in a slanted line. As Raven watched him sleep, she smiled and stroked the baby's cheek.

"You know," she whispered to the sleeping toddler. "I actually thank Slade for once."

To Be Continued…


	2. The Little Things

Author's note: Whoo! Chapter two is up! I hope you enjoy it!

It had been weeks and the Titans had heard nothing from Slade. Not that any of them but Robin would have noticed. Bo kept them so busy that they barely noticed anything else. Bo toddled around the tower babbling about anything and everything. He even sang, which the Titans loved. He loved to watch Cyborg and Beastboy play videogames and clapped as he watched the hover cars race around the tracks. He loved sitting on the kitchen counter as Starfire cooked something strange, dipping his little hands into her mixtures and sloppily sucking it from his fingers. He even liked sitting with Robin in his mission room, just sitting on the floor talking to himself, occasionally looking up and smiling at the Titans leader. His favorite was easily Raven. It was no secret that the pair shared a mother/child-like bond. Bo followed her around, cried when he knew she was leaving for a lengthy amount of time, and always screamed and stomped his feet when something didn't go his way, raising his arms towards her, his bottom lip sticking out until she picked him up. All of the Titans caught little peeks of Raven kissing him or making funny faces at him, but not one of them cherished these little glimpses of a side of Raven everyone longed to be part of as like Beastboy did. He had been walking down the hallway to his room one afternoon, digging inside the back of his jeans like all fifteen-year old boys do when he spied Raven from the crack of the open door of her own room, sitting on her bed across from Bo, her cape between them. She was currently wearing a black sweat shirt and jeans (after the first year in the tower, the Titans had started using the mission attire strictly for missions).

"Where's Bo?" She would ask excitedly and Bo would raise the cape, equally excited. When he yanked it down to reveal his grinning face, Raven would gasp and say, "There you are!" She then leaned over, knocking Bo over onto his back and smothered him in kisses, making him howl with ticklish laughter. The demon girl laughed too and hugged him tightly. "You little monkey."

Beastboy smiled, and he barely noticed after that he actually _tried_ to catch her in these kinds of moments. He would purposely try and discretely hang around her when she had Bo with her, hoping she would flash that loving and beautiful smile.

Bo had also changed a lot in Raven. She was still sarcastic and moody, but the Titans had noticed a lot of it was a façade now. She actually went on outings with them now just to take the baby along. She stayed up late and watched movies with them just so she could hear Bo laugh and babble at the television. She was _looser_.

--

"Robin?" Cyborg walked into the mission room, yawning. "Man, it's nearly one in the morning! What are you still doing up?"

Robin ran a hand through his hair, frustrated as he stared at a computer screen. An eerie green glow emitted from it and Cyborg wondered if it hurt the other teen's eyes. Robin leaned back in the chair and said, "I just can't stop thinking of Slade. What was he planning with Bo? I just know he had a motive, but what?!" He pounded the keyboard. "What is he planning?!" He then slowly raised up and turned to Cyborg abruptly. "Do you think the child could be some sort of spy? Some sort of decoy?"

"What now?" Cyborg cocked an eyebrow. "The kid is still cutting teeth, be serious! Besides we've bathed him and he's pooped enough. He's not carrying any kind of spying device. I would have picked it up on my scanners, anyway." He pulled up a wooden kitchen chair and sat down beside Robin. He looked around and cautiously lowered his voice. "I've gotta agree with you, though. I think Slade's still up to something with that kid."

"He has to go," Robin sighed. " That's all there is to it. Slade's planning something bad, and none of us our safe as long as Bo's here." He stood up. "I'm just worried about Raven, I'm sure you've noticed how attached she's gotten to him."

"Well," Cyborg shrugged. "It is kind of hard to dislike a baby." He scratched his head. "But what are we going to do with him exactly? It's not like he has a family somewhere. We checked all of the possibilities, remember?"

"There'll be someone out there who wants him," Robin replied, leaving the mission room. "It's just going to be hard on the others. I'm not exactly sure how to go about doing it." He turned to Cyborg. "What if there _was_ someone out there looking for him?"

Cyborg cocked an eyebrow at him. "I know where this is going, Man, and I don't like it. You know how I feel about deception."

"It might be the only way," Robin sounded annoyed. "C'mon, Cy, I need you on this one."

--

"Beastboy," Raven groaned as she walked into the kitchen where the other Titan was making pancakes. "Could you possibly be any slower?"

"I'm going as fast I can!" Beastboy retorted, flipping a pancake which turned out to still be runny, making a big mess on the griddle. He smacked his forehead and smashed the whole disaster with his spatula. "Stupid pancakes! They look done, but then they just melt all over the place and-"

"Settle down, Beavis," Raven said sarcastically, wriggling her in between the changeling and kitchen counter. "Let me help." She used her powers to remove the bad pancake and jerked the flipper out of Beastboy's hand. "You don't have to get so worked up over this. They're just pancakes."

"And that's coming from the girl who goes bananas if somebody drinks her tea?" Beastboy cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms. He then uncrossed them and looked around curiously. "Where's Bo?"

"Still sleeping," Raven replied flatly. "He always sleeps longer when it's raining outside." She perfectly (and manually) flipped two pancakes and set them on a plate, covering them with a paper towel. She then poured some more batter on the griddle and set the spatula down. "Besides, it's only nine."

The two stood side by side, watching the pancakes bubble. It was strange to be alone with each other. Usually when it was just the two of them, they had Bo as well. One of the pancakes gurgled and the two Titans reached for the spatula at the same time, their hands brushing against each other. Raven quickly stepped aside and muttered, "Go ahead." She watched as the other Titan flipped the pancake successfully.

"So, um," Beastboy scratched his head. "What are your plans for today?"

"I don't know," Raven leaned against the counter. She flipped the other pancake and set it on the plate with the other hotcakes. "Why? Does Robin want us to do something?"

"Well, I figured you'd have something planned with Bo," Beastboy shrugged. "Do you have something planned with him?"

"Starfire wanted to take him to the movies," Raven said. "I guess that would give me some time to meditate or something." She walked over to the stove and put on a kettle of tea.

Beastboy kicked his barefeet against the linoleum floor awkwardly. "You wanna…I dunno, do something with me today?" When Raven gave him a funny look, he quickly added, "I mean, since it's rainy and we both don't have any real plans or…or something." When Raven said nothing, Beastboy laughed a little. "But, um, you know, you have to meditate so I, uh, I understand."

"What would you like to do?" Raven finally spoke. "If Starfire and Robin are taking Bo to the movies-"

"And Cyborg's going to visit the East Titans," Beastboy pointed out. "I guess it'll just…". He felt butterflies in his stomach. He and Raven were going to be at home alone.

"We could go out," Raven suggested sipping her tea. "It's raining, but not that hard."

--

Starfire and Robin were leaving to go to the movies right around the time Cyborg left to visit Bumblebee and the other East coast Titans. Starfire had dressed Bo in a little T-shirt with the Bat signal on it and khaki shorts. She giggled as Robin rolled his eyes and zipped up his sweater. He was also wearing a Batman shirt. Bo immediately spotted Raven and held out his arms, babbling as he did so. Raven took him without hesitation, and absent-mindedly began grooming his hair with her fingers.

"Thank you so much for letting us to take Bo the cinema of films!" Starfire told Raven. "I'm sure the three of us will have a glorious time seeing the _Wall-e_."

Raven handed her the baby back and said somewhat defensively, "He's not my kid." She then looked at Beastboy and then back at the other Titans. "I think we're going to to go out and do something too."

Starfire and Robin exchanged curious glances and Robin asked, "You and Beastboy?"

"Well, Cyborg's not here, and you two are doing something already," Beastboy chimed in helpfully. Like Raven, he did not care to fumble for explanations.

"Have fun then," Robin shrugged. "C'mon, Star, let's get out of here."

"You have his carseat?" Raven asked. "His cup? His diaper bag? I put some extra diapers in it just in case. Oh and if he starts to get cranky in the theatre, there's a little set of plastic keys in the left pocket of his bag-just give him those and he'll be fine. Let me go make him bag of cheerios really fast too-"

"Raven," Robin was trying not to smile. "It's alright. We got it." He turned to Starfire. "We do have the diaper bag, right?"

"Affirmative!" Starfire nodded vigorously, holding up the items. "I have checked the check-list Raven wrote and everything is in order."

The two Titans and the baby left and Raven floated over towards the window to see them climb into Robin's car Batman had bought him for his last birthday. She watched carefully, making sure they fastened the seat correctly and then turned to Beastboy, who was grinning at her. She frowned. "What?"

"You wrote a check-list?" He asked. "Dude, you're obsessed!"

"I am not," Raven argued. "I just don't know how good Robin and Starfire…okay, so I'm obsessed. Big deal. I'm the one stuck sitting the kid all the time." She knew Beastboy was dopey sometimes, but he wasn't _stupid_. It was no surprise he only stared at her after she said it.

"There's nothing wrong with caring for somebody, Rae," he told her. "I like Bo. Star likes him. Cy likes him. I think Robin likes him." He glanced at the microwave clock. "Anyway, if we wanna do something, we'd better start getting ready."

--

Beastboy, just as most boys, took about five minutes getting ready. He threw on jeans a T-shirt and brushed his teeth. However, despite her not being like other girls in every way, Raven took about an hour getting ready. She took a shower, blow-dried her hair, brushed her teeth, washed her face…she came into the living room wearing a black and white peasant-top shirt that fell down to her waist and a pair of dark capris. She immediately blushed when Beastboy saw her and explained quickly, "Starfire bought it for me last me week. It would hurt her feelings if I didn't wear it."

"I think you look nice," Beastboy shrugged, though he really thought she looked a lot better than _nice_. She looked gorgeous. "So, uh, what do you wanna do? I mean, where do you wanna go?"

"I don't know." Raven sat down on the sofa. "Where do _you_ want to go?"

"Um…" Beastboy pondered this a moment. He thought about the movies, but that sounded too plain. Besides, if they had wanted to go see a movie they could have just gone with Robin and Starfire. "How about the boardwalk?" He suggested.

"It's raining," Raven pointed.

"Drizzling," Beastboy corrected her. "C'mon, it'll be fun! We can at least go through all the shops and stuff."

"Should we fly or take my car?" Raven asked, standing up.

Beastboy was already running around looking for her keys. "Your car, duh! It's raining!" Just as he spotted the keys on the counter, Raven used her powers to bring them to her.

"I thought it was_ drizzling_?" She stared at him.

--

"This is _drizzling_?!" Raven growled as they tore across the boardwalk parking lot in the pouring rain.

"It's a _light shower_!" Beastboy retorted. "Forget this! Let's just fly!" He turned into a bird and flew ahead of her. Raven also took flight, and by the time they reached the covered balcony of the shops, they were both soaking wet.

Aside from the employees, there weren't very many people at the boardwalk at all. Beastboy and Raven walked along the balcony that was lined with shops, Raven wringing out her wet hair. They went into a toy store (Beastboy naturally gravitated towards toy stores) and he immediately began grabbing and playing with random display toys. Normally, Raven would be tapping her foot and asking if they could leave yet, but as she looked around, certain items caught her eye. She walked over to a bouncy-ball that was blue and sparkling. She picked it up and turned it over. It would be perfect for Bo. He loved to throw things and he loved anything that bounced.

"Think Bo would like this?" She said, turning to Beastboy, who was trying to ride a wooden horse.

"Uh, yah!" Beastboy took it from her. "He would totally go nuts over this!" Without another word he raced over to the counter and ripped out his wallet.

"I can pay for it," Raven frowned.

"Like you're the only one who gets to spoil him." Beastboy stuck his tongue out at her. Raven only rolled her eyes, but she smiled as she placed her own wallet back in her pocket.

As they walked out of the toy store, Raven cleared her throat awkwardly and said, "Thanks."

" 'Thanks'?" Beastboy raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"Buying the ball, doofus." Raven grinned a little. "He's going to love it."

The rain died down into a light mist and the two Titans decided to walk around the boardwalk where the water licked the bottom of the railing violently from the wind. Raven leaned on the rail and stared out into the water. Beastboy did too. "You know," he said. "Even though it's wet and windy, it feels pretty good out here."

"Yah," Raven agreed, nodding a little. She then gasped as a gust of wind blew her shopping bag and the ball flew out into the water. "Oh!"

"I got it!" Beastboy hopped onto the railing and leapt into the water, transforming into a dolphin. He bounced the ball back up and Raven caught it. He then turned into a bird and flew back, finally returning to his true form and wringing out his wet (and sadly fairly new) American Eagle shirt.

"I could have just used my powers," Raven informed him. "But um," she actually chuckled. "That was cool."

Beastboy stopped trying to dry himself and looked at her. "It was?"

"Yah," Raven reached over and flicked a strand of wet hair out of his face. "It was."

--

They continued to walk around, and talked about Bo and the other Titans and Slade and whatever else they could think of. As they turned to go into an ice cream parlor, Raven's communicator beeped. She removed it from her pocket. It was Starfire.

"Oh, Raven!" Starfire sounded desperate. "There is trouble!"

"What's wrong?" Raven asked. "Is Bo alright?" Beastboy leaned over to look at the device too.

"He will not stop crying!" Starfire sighed, exasperated. "We have changed his diaper, he ate the chicken nuggets at the restaurant, we have given him the cheerios _and_ the cup _and _the toy keys! We do not know what troubles him!"

"Is he squirmy? Does he keep rubbing his eyes?" Raven asked, thinking he might just be sleepy. After all, it was close to his nap time.

"We do not know," Starfire ran a hand through her hair. "We had to exit the cinema and now we are outside on a bench and- CAN YOU NOT HEAR HIM WAILING?!"

In the background, Bo wailed loudly. Raven sighed and massaged her forehead. "I guess Beastboy and I will go ahead and leave. Just take him back to the tower, okay?"

"Very well," Starfire nodded. "And thank you. I feel I will lose my mind if I am with him much longer."

The transmission ended and Raven and Beastboy looked at each other. "Well," Beastboy shrugged. "I had fun."

--

Little Bo was still crying when they returned to the tower. He was sitting on the floor, his face red and his nose runny from crying. He immediately spotted Raven and wailed louder, standing up and running over to her. Raven scooped him up and said in her monotone droll, "Hey, you. What's with the screaming?" She retrieved a tissue from her pocket and wiped his face.

"So what is the matter with him?" Starfire asked, holding an icepack to her head. "He has given me the aching of the head."

"He's just tired," Raven explained, taking the baby into the kitchen and fixing him a sippy cup of juice with her powers. "He's usually asleep around this time."

Beastboy walked over and held out his arms. "I'll put him to bed if you want."

"Sure," Raven handed him over to the other Titan and began digging through the child's diaper bag.

Beastboy bounced the baby slightly and said, going nose to nose with him, "Escucha, niño pequeño" He took the sippy cup from Raven and continued, "somos cansados de su griterío."

"What was all that?" Raven asked, her confused face matching Starfire's.

"That's what my mom used to tell me when I was little," Beastboy grinned, and then frowned. "I think."

"You speak Spanish?" Raven inquired.

"Yah, I'm half, you know." Beastboy shrugged. "A lot of people can't tell because I'm green now."

Raven had never even thought about what Beastboy looked like before he had gotten his powers. She followed Beastboy to her bedroom where the baby slept. He layed him down on the bed and handed him the sippy cup. "va a dormir, amigo."

Bo almost immediately conked out and the two Titans left the room quietly. Raven shut the door, then changed her mind and left it open just a crack. She looked at Beastboy and said, "I had a really nice time today."

"Ditto." Beastboy smiled.

To Be Continued…


	3. Time of My Life

"Good news, you guys

"Good news, you guys!" Robin busted into the living room, waving a sheet of paper around with something printed on it. He took the remote from the arm of the couch and clicked the television off. "Bo's no longer an orphan! He's a _real_ missing child now!"

"What do you mean?" Beastboy asked, who had been lying on the floor with Bo in the stomach. He sat up and little Bo eagerly got off of him and ran over to Robin, who picked him up.

"I've been keeping tabs with the local police department _and_ the national missing persons bureau," Robin explained as he bounced the baby awkwardly. "And I just got an email that somebody really is missing him. It's a couple from North Carolina and-"

"Wait," Raven frowned. "We've had him here for about a month and a half now, and he's only just now turned up missing?" She stared at Robin for a long time and added, "I've been keeping tabs too."

Robin set the baby down and sighed. "Well, it's legit. I promise. Anyway, I was thinking Cyborg and I could take him to the station tomorrow, and then we can start on tracking Slade again." When nobody said nothing, he scowled. "Look, we all know Bo wasn't going to stay here forever. We're not his parents."

Raven opened her mouth like she was going to argue, but she didn't. Starfire picked at a loose stitch in her skirt, and Beastboy saw an odd expression briefly cross Cyborg's face. He asked, "So who are the parents?"

"Excuse me?" Robin cocked an eyebrow and then slapped his forehead. "Oh, right!" He looked down at the paper. "Dale and Kristin Clayton of Pineside, North Carolina. Bo is there only child."

"So what's his real name?" Beastboy leaned back against the sofa.

"Um," Robin glanced at the paper. "I don't know, it's just his parents' names and-"

"So, how do we know Bo is the missing child of Dale and Kristin Clayton?" Starfire inquired. "They did not even list a name for their missing baby?"

Everyone stared at Robin and he fidgeted with the sheet of paper awkwardly. Little Bo, who had been sitting on the floor playing with Cyborg's feet, found the silence to be a perfect opportunity to start screaming. It wasn't unhappy screaming. It was laughing screaming where he stood up and jumped up and down. Starfire smiled and cooed something in Temaranian to him. Bo giggled and continued to dance and act goofy. Raven smiled briefly at the child, and then glared at Robin again. "You didn't find his parents. You made it all up."

"Look!" Robin crumpled up the paper and threw it. " He can't stay here! Don't you think it's a little odd that Slade never came looking for him?! That we haven't heard from him in forever?! He's planning something and he's using the baby to trick us!"

Bo toddled over to the paper ball and squatted down next to it. He picked it up, put it in his mouth, took it out, walked over to Robin, opened the Titan's hand, put the ball in and said, "Here."

Robin shoved the toddler away. "Not now, Bo!"

"Robin!" Starfire scolded as the baby fell onto his bottom and began to wail, though he really wasn't hurt. Just his feelings. She picked him up and smoothed out some of his hair.

"You know what?" Robin threw his arms up in the air. "Keep him! Do whatever you want! But when Slade's ready to make his move-and believe me- he will, don't say I didn't warn you!" With that he turned on his heels and marched out of the living room.

Bo, still sniffling, pointed in his direction and said, "No no, Dob!"

The Titans laughed and Beastboy took the baby from Starfire. "You tell him, Dude," he said. " No no, Robin!"

--

"Knock knock?" Beastboy tapped on the bathroom door, though it was already open. Raven was on her knees, the sleeves of her black sweater rolled up as she bathed Bo.

"What are you up to?" She asked, sloppinly drying one of her soapy hands on her jeans and wiping her forehead.

"Just seeing if Guapo was clean yet," Beastboy shrugged, putting the toilet lid down and sitting on it to watch the bath. When Bo finally noticed him, after repeatedly refilling a cup of water over his head, he grinned and said, "Dah!"

"Dah yourself," Beastboy laughed. He slid off of the seat and knelt beside Raven, splashing his hand in the water. Raven smiled and asked, "You wanna finish?"

"Sure," Beastboy took the washcloth from her and Raven watched silently as he began to later soapy water on the baby. He washed his arms and under his arms and then his face, ears. He felt Raven staring at him and he looked at her questioningly, but still smiling. "What?"

"Nothing," Raven shook her head slightly and turned to the baby. "Are we ready to get out now?" She asked him and rolled her eyes as he poured water over his head once more. "No," He replied, taking the washcloth from Beastboy and sucking the water out of it.

"C'mon, Dude," Beastboy took him under the arms and lifted him out of the water. Raven used her powers to retrieve a towel from the towel rack and wrapped him up in it, drying him off.

"Are you upset about what Robin did this afternoon?" She suddenly asked Beastboy.

"Kind of," Beastboy shrugged. "But it was expected."

"Dah doh dee doo deh-dah!" Bo suddenly squealed and Raven laughed.

"What did you say?" Beastboy raised an eyebrow. He picked him up, towel and all, and held him upside down. "Tell me."

Bo squealed with laughter and babbled some more. Raven sat on the edge of the tub as Beastboy swung Bo around upside down. She smiled and rolled her eyes slightly. Suddenly, Beastboy's foot collided with hers and she fell into the tub, hitting her head on the tile wall. Beastboy set Bo down immediately and knelt down, helping her up. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Raven groaned, feeling the seat of her pants, which were wet and soapy. Actually, her whole backside and even part of her hair was wet and soapy. Beastboy got her a towel and Raven began to dry herself the best she could. She asked Beastboy to close the door and he did so. To his surprise, astonishment even, Raven unbuttoned her jeans and began to wriggle out of them.

"Um, I'm still kinda here-" Beastboy covered his eyes.

"Just turn around," Raven said, sounding annoyed. "My night clothes are in here anyway."

As Beastboy turned around, he asked, "Why didn't you just tell me to get out?"

"Because then Bo would run out, butt-naked, and he would slip somewhere. Don't you remember last week when he ran right into Cyborg's leg?"

Beastboy easily remembered it. Bo had a knot on his head the size of a tennis ball and it was bruised for days. As Raven changed clothes, Beastboy narrowed his eyes and guiltily realized he could see part of Raven's backside in the reflection of the mirror. He tried not to stare, he really did, but he couldn't help it. He could only see a glimpse of her back and her dark blue undwear. She quickly pulled a pair of pajama pants over them, and turned around, fully dressed. "You can turn back around now."

He did so and cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, um, are _his _PJs in here too?" He pointed to the toddler, who was flapping his towel like a cape. Raven tossed him the baby's night wear and opened the bathroom door a crack, stepping out. She poked her head back in and asked, "Think you can get him dressed by yourself without killing one of you?"

"Piece of cake," Beastboy said as Raven closed the door. However, it was not a piece of cake at all. Everytime Beastboy put an article of clothing on the toddler, he would take it off and throw it to the floor, stating, "No!" in his high-pitched baby squeal.

"C'mon, Bo," Beastboy pleaded, holding up the little T-printed flannel shorts. "Be reasonable, Man. It's nearly ten o' clock!"

"Do bo bee eh?" Bo grinned at him and sat on the floor, still only in his diaper began to suck on the big toe of his left foot.

"I'm going to call Cyborg in here, "Beastboy threatened weakly, knowing Cyborg would never do it. It was Monster Truck Rally Night on the action channel.

It was eleven when Raven finally stepped back in, holding a mug of tea. "You still at it?"She asked flatly as she watched Bo parade around the small bathroom half naked. At least he had the shorts on. She set her tea on the countertop and picked him up. Wordlessly, she sat him next to her tea and ordered, "Raise up your arms." Bo raised his arms, and Raven slid the shirt over. She then set him back down and patted his behind. "Go to bed. Now."

"How did you do that?" Beastboy asked in amazement as Bo raced down the hall to Raven's bedroom.

Raven shrugged. "It's not that hard."

--

Bo wailed and wailed when Raven left to go on a mission. Of course, they always took turns crime-fighting now, but when Raven left, Bo was not a happy toddler. It was currently Cyborg watching him, and though the Titan tried everything in his power to cheer him up, Bo screamed and pounded on the garage door. Cyborg had been trying to work on his car, but it was hard to do, especially over the screaming.

"Hey, little dude," he sighed, walking over to the toddler and patting his head. "She's gonna be back. Don't get you diaper in a bunch."

Bo pushed his hand away and said loudly, "NO!" He continued to howl and pound at the door. Cyborg sighed and pondered over what he could do with the baby. "Do you wanna play video games?" That was easy enough. It's not like Bo ever played the games. He just watched others play them.

"NO!" Bo said again. "No, no, no, no, no, no!" He sat down and kicked his legs, and finally flung himself down on his back, still kicking and screaming. "NO, no, no, no, no, no! NO!"

Cyborg groaned and clicked on his communicator. Robin's face appeared. "What's the matter?" He asked.

"When are you guys gonna be done?" The other Titan demanded. "I don't know how much longer I can take with the howling screamer!" He turned the communicator so Robin could see the child throwing a tantrum. "He really wants Raven, Man."

Robin seemed to think this over. "We're fighting Dr. Light right now," he replied. "So we should be done soon."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Cyborg sighed.

"Hey, Cy," Robin hesitated briefly. "You know, since we're all gone, you could go take the baby to the station. Raven would be upset for a little while, they all would, but we'd finally have things back to normal."

"Robin," Cyborg sighed again, only this time it was not out of relief. "You know I can't do that."

--

"Ese chico está loco!" Beastboy groaned as he followed the other Titans into the tower.

Bo was in Cyborg's lap, screaming at the top of his lungs. When he saw the others, he wriggled free and ran to Raven, practically climbing up her leg. Raven picked him up and asked Cyborg flatly, but sarcastically, "So how was he?"

"Oh, quiet as a mouse," Cyborg joked back "You know him."

Bo immediately shut up in Raven's arms and she bounced him slightly. "I guess I'll stay here next time."

--

Raven and Beastboy both stayed the next time. It was a small bank robbery, so not all five Titans were needed anyway. Bo was growing more and more everyday, and it was becoming difficult for the Titans to remember life without him. Cyborg had installed a high-tech crib into Raven's wall for him, as well as several toys. Starfire often spent time with him on the floor with flash cards, attempting to teach him Tameranian. Robin had softened a bit and often let Bo watch him train in the fitness-section of the tower. Beastboy, of course, did a lot of things with the toddler and was a close runner-up to Raven, who was still his favorite. He had even started to call her, "Mommy" much to the female Titan's embarrassment. Around the others, she would flatly say, "I'm not your mommy." But in private, she would always reply with, "What, Baby?"

"Bah! Bah! Bah!" Bo yelled as he danced around the sofa with one of Cyborg's homemade toys. Raven and Beastboy watched him from the couch lazily, their eyes following him in circles.

"The boy loves to dance," Beastboy commented.

Raven nodded. "Yup."

The pair sat in silence, and then Bo raced over to the large stereo system and cocked his head. Raven raised her upper body slightly and said, "Don't do it." Bo ignored her and squatted down, gingerly fingering some of the buttons. He turned to the Titans and said, "Doh?"

"No," Beastboy shook his head sternly. "Don't push it."

"Do?" Bo's finger moved closer to the button.

Raven sat up all the way. "Get away from it," she growled. "That's not a toy."

"Toy!" Bo pushed the button and both of the titans stood up, expecting to hear Fifty Cent or Chamillionaire start blasting (Robin and Cyborg had used it last and they loved rap at its maximum volume), instead, nothing happened.

"Come here," Raven picked the toddler up and set him down facing the other way. "Go."

Music suddenly started. Raven and Beastboy stared at the stereo. The tune sounded very familiar.

Now I had the time of my life, though I never felt like this before

The Titans stared at each other and said at the same time, "Dirty Dancing."

"Oh, so you've seen that movie?" Beastboy rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Who hasn't?" Raven asked.

"Dee!" They turned to see Bo rocking his body up and down, dancing to the song.

'Cause I had the time of my life, and I owe it all to you

Beastboy coughed and kicked his sock-clad feet against the floor. He held out his hand. Raven stared at it, and then him. "What?" She asked.

Beastboy fought back a smile as he said in his most serious tone. "Nobody puts baby in a corner." He then raised his eyebrows. He grabbed Raven's hand when she did nothing and placed it just above his waist. He then started to move his feet, and Raven groaned and blushed at the same time, rolling her eyes. "C'mon," Beastboy laughed. "You know you want to."

Their dancing was awkward and clumsy at first, but they just laughed it off and soon developed a rhythm. Of course, it was nothing like the actual dance from the film. They weren't professionals, but they weren't terrible. Bo grinned at them and clapped his hands as he watched them. Raven bit her bottom lip and tried to keep from laughing as Beastboy pulled away from her and began dancing on his own, doing a poor imitation of Patrick Swayze.

With my body and soul, I want you more than you'll ever know

He jumped on the couch and stumbled a bit, his foot sinking in between the cushions. Raven did laugh at that, and her laugh was beautiful. Not that Beastboy hadn't heard her laugh before, just not like that. Just as he made his way back over to her, taking her hands in his own, the other Titans entered the tower and stared at them. Raven and Beastboy turned to them and immediately broke apart. Beastboy slinked over to the stereo and turned the volume down. Raven cleared her throat and tucked some hair behind her ears.

"Were you two just dancing?" Cyborg cocked an eyebrow.

"No," Raven and Beastboy answered together and then together again, "Well, yah, but just to make Bo laugh." They looked at each other briefly and turned back to the group.

"You were doing a glorious job," she pointed to the baby, who was still clapping and laughing.

To Be Continued…


	4. They were always curious

They Had Always Been Curious

Bo had now been with the Titans for a solid five months. He could now run and climb easily, his speech was developing more rapidly everyday, and he had a mouth full of teeth (which weren't always a good thing, as the bite marks on every Titan proved). The little toddler, who they guessed was about a year and eight months or so by his motor skills and physical characteristics, had officially claimed Raven as "Mommy" and Beastboy as "Daddy". Naturally, Raven and Beastboy corrected him, but only if the other Titans-or the other _parent_ was around.

Robin had finally settled down and accepted Bo as a member of the household. He rarely mentioned anything about Slade, and had pleasantly found the child an easy excuse to be close to Starfire. Starfire, of course, was the Titan to spoil Bo. Rarely did she scold or punish him, and when he was scolded or punished, he would go straight to the alien for comfort or protection. Cyborg insisted Bo be raised to follow in his footsteps, and often tried to teach car mechanics to the toddler who would often stare blankly at whatever Cyborg was working on as he babbled on about things nobody but himself would understand.

"Bo, use your spoon," Robin groaned as the Titans ate dinner one night. "I know you can."

Bo, who was in the high-tech highchair Cyborg had built for him, only smiled and threw his spoon on the floor calling out, "Uh oh!".

"No," Raven used her powers to put the utensil back on his tray. "Not an 'uh-oh'." She got up out of her chair and walked over to the highchair. Taking Bo's hand in hers, she wrapped his fingers around the spoon and scooped up some cut-up spaghetti. "Here, eat."

Bo made a face and shook his head. Raven sighed and said, "But you like spaghetti." When Bo continued to make a face and soon started to pout, Beastboy walked over to Raven and ate the food off the spoon. "Mmm!" He licked his lips dramatically. "Delicious!"

Bo made a skeptical face, but then reached for the spoon eagerly babbling wildly. The others laughed. Raven stared at Beastboy and he grinned triumphantly and a little sheepishly.

--

Raven awoke to Bo's wailing. It was a little strange because the toddler rarely cried, and when he did, it was usually because he was being scolded or Raven wasn't in his sight. She groggily rolled over, pulling down her tank top which had ridden up to her ribcage and got out of bed. As her feet met the cold floor, she shivered slightly. She walked over to the child's crib, yawning. "What's wrong with you?" She croaked, raising the little gate and taking the child in her arms. She then quickly put him down, feeling something warm and wet. Her eyes widened and she was suddenly fully awake. The wetness was not on his bottom, but on his back. She ripped him out of the crib and set him on the floor, kneeling beside him. Working quickly, she tugged his night shirt over his head and peered over his shoulder.

"No," she whispered, her breath sticking in her throat. On the child's back, scratched in blood, was a very familiar 'S'. Bo continued to wail and Raven took him in her arms, squeezing him tightly. She wasn't even sure if her embrace was hurting him or not, but she was too afraid to even consider it.

"Is everything okay?" Robin's voice came to the door as he knocked. "Raven?"

Raven wiped her eyes and tried to gain some sort of composure as she shakily called back, "Yah, Bo just had a bad dream or something."

"Just checking," Robin replied. "G'night."

Raven kissed Bo and placed her fingertips to the abrasion on his back. Her powers healed the bleeding, but it was now an ugly scab. She kissed the baby again and whispered, "I won't let him hurt you. I promise."

The baby sniffled and sucked on his thumb, nuzzling his head into the girl's chest. "Mommy," he whimpered. Raven took him to bed with her, but she did not sleep. In fact, she often got up and paced around the room, checking the window, checking her door, checking the baby. She knew it was wrong to keep this from the others, but she also knew what Robin would say. She knew what he would do. He would want to send Bo away. He would rant about how he'd been right, and the others would agree with him.

--

"Why didn't you tell me?" Raven woke up in a sitting position on her bed, her head resting against the headboard. Beastboy was standing before her, holding Bo who was happily chewing on a rubber frosting spreader. Beastboy raised up the child's shirt and Raven winced when she saw the mark.

"Does Robin know?" She asked.

"What does it matter?" Beastboy sounded angry, which he rarely emoted. Annoyed and exasperated, but never truly angry. "Raven, he's in danger." He set the baby down and massaged his forehead. "We have to tell Robin."

"He'll send him away," Raven argued, reaching for Bo, but the baby climbed off the bed and started whacking his utensil on the floor. "Slade wasn't even in the tower. If he had been, I would have sensed it. That means he could hurt Bo _anywhere_."

Beastboy almost laughed, though nothing was particularly funny, and said, "Do you hear yourself? Raven, we have to tell Robin." He slapped his thigh, gesturing for the baby, "C'mon, Dude."

Bo looked up at Beastboy, grinning his semi-toothy grin, and held up his arms. He much preferred to be picked up and carried than to use his own feet. Despite her being tired and worried, Raven still found the courage to argue.

"Can we at least tell Cyborg and Starfire first?" She pleaded, trying to hide the desperation in her voice.

"I guess," Beastboy sighed. "But Raven, Robin has to know. He knows more about Slade than any of us."

--

"My poor bumgorf!" Starfire gasped as she observed the abrasion on Bo's back for the billionth time. "How could he have done this to you?"

Cyborg nodded. "That is pretty low. Even for Slade." He looked at Raven and Beastboy. "And you're sure Slade didn't get in the tower? This was obviously done _physically_." He picked up the toddler and tickled his belly.

"It happened right in my bedroom," Raven explained. "If Slade had been in my own room, I would have known about it. If anybody had been there." She sighed and ran a hand through her short, dark hair. "I actually kind of wish it had been like that. It scares me to know Slade can hurt him whenever and wherever he wants."

"Do zah zen bee!" Bo suddenly blurted.

"Man, I love his baby talk," Cyborg commented.

"That was tameranian," Starfire corrected him quietly. She leaned into Bo's face. "K'norf zeon zu ahk ne?"

Bo's bottom lip suddenly trembled and he began to suck on his thumb. Starfire looked worried and told the others, "Bo said there is a visitor, but when I asked him who it was, he did not respond." She stroked some of his sandy hair and prodded, "K'norf zu ahk, Bumgorf?"

"My bobo," Bo whimpered, gingerly touching the back of his shirt.

"Your 'bobo'?" Cyborg repeated, cocking an eyebrow. "Your bobo is the visitor?"

"No," Raven took him from Cyborg and held him close to her. "He means the one who _gave_ him the bobo is here."

"Slade?" Beastboy growled and tensed, looking around.

They all gasped suddenly as Bo cried out, his shirt ripping in the front, and something glowing from underneath the tattered fabric. Raven lifted it gingerly to reveal another abrasion forming an 'S'. Bo wailed and clutched onto her shirt as it happened again, and again, and again. They were on his shoulders, his arms, his legs. Starfire's eyes glowed bright green and she flew up. Beastboy turned into a lion. Cyborg prepared his cannon. Raven simply squeezed Bo, closing her eyes tightly, hoping it would all be over soon.

"Stop it," she whispered, feeling emotions surging inside her. Emotions she knew were dangerous. "Just stop it."

"Why don't you come out and show yourself?!" Cyborg demanded. "You dirty bastard!"

"Mommy!" Bo sobbed, trembling now.

"stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it, STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT!!" Raven lost control and almost every electronic in the house exploded simultaneously, as did several transformers outside. She now had four eyes like her father, and they were all glowing red. Surprisingly, this did not phase Bo a bit, and he still clung onto her just as tightly as ever.

"Raven, no!" Starfire flew over to the other girl, reaching for her arm, but Raven jerked away.

She sunk to her knees, trying to calm down, but she could feel her demon blood boiling, and her sudden urge to torture and kill strengthening. She only wanted to torture and kill one man, and she wasn't so sure she wouldn't succeed. Robin, luckily, entered the tower at that moment at top speed, and threw his latest gadget he had purchased on the floor. "What's wrong?" He demanded. "I saw the transformers go out!"

"Dob!" Bo looked up at him, his bloody markings revealing everything.

"That son of a bitch!" Robin punched the wall, cracking it slightly, and tugged at his hair. He then sighed heavily and took the baby from Raven, who was still on the floor breathing heavily, as if she were trying not to vomit.

"It's going to be okay, Bo," Robin kissed the baby, blood and all, and ordered for somebody to bring him the medical kit.

"What are we going to do?" Raven looked up at him, and she could no longer fight the tears. "Why is he doing this?"

"This is exactly what he wanted," Robin sighed as Starfire handed him a clean medical cloth. He began to gently dab at the baby's various injuries as he continued, "he knows we're helpless now. He wanted us to grow attached to him."

"So what can we do to protect him?" Starfire asked.

"Whatever we can," Robin shrugged. "We're going to have to find Slade." He handed the toddler over to Cyborg who could perform the rest of the medical tasks much faster and more professionally than the other Titans. He then knelt down beside Raven and patted her shoulder. "He's family now, Raven. We're going to give him the same protection we'd give each other."

--

Days went by and nothing happened to Bo. Of course, he'd gotten his usual bumps and scrapes, but nothing from Slade. The Titans now wanted Slade to surface more than anything. They constantly checked the monitors, the papers, the internet, for any sign of crime that might be his doing. They seldom slept now, and even when they did, they often checked on the baby. Slade had put them right where he wanted them. He'd given them something to care for, something to love, and he had the power to destroy it. They knew this now.

"Where he go?" Bo asked, casting his arms out in dramatic gesture.

He'd covered Cyborg, who had been on the floor playing gamestation, with a blanket. Of course, it hardly covered the Titan's massive figure, but they could all pretend. Starfire and Beastboy pretended to look around, as if they didn't know their friend was right in front of them, shrouded partially by a bright, blue blanket. Bo then, like a magician, ripped the blanket away and squealed, "Daire he is!"

Starfire and Beastboy slapped their foreheads and said, "Oh! There he is!"

"You sure you don't wanna play, Raven?" Beastboy asked the other Titan, who was sitting on the sofa with a book. Of course, she had been watching them more than she had scanned the pages of her mystery.

"Positive," Raven said dryly. "You guys go nuts."

"Book down, Mommy," Bo suddenly demanded, smacking the floor. "Down, Mommy."

Starfire giggled. "He wishes for you to sit down here with us."

Raven sighed, and slid off the couch, her bottom now touching the floor. "There."

"No," Bo shook his head and tugged on her book. "Down."

"Oh, he wants the book down," Beastboy laughed.

"I'm reading this," Raven tugged back.

"No!" Bo's little brows furrowed. "Book down!"

He pulled harder on the book, but Raven didn't let go. This made Bo furious (he did not like his demands to be unmet) and he began to scream and stomp his feet, still holding the book. When Raven did nothing, he turned to Beastboy and wailed, "Daddy!"

"C'mon, Rae," Beastboy rolled his eyes. "He's just as much your kid as he is mine."

Raven groaned and put the book on the couch. "Shut up." She then stared at Bo and said in a flat voice, "Okay, play."

Bo covered her with the blanket and turned to the three other Titans. "Where Mommy go?"

--

That night, as Bo slept, something stood in Raven's room, though their heavy boots were as quiet as feathers. They gracefully moved over to the crib, and gloved fingers stroked the skinny little arms, which now had faint scars.

"Quiet as a mouse, aren't we, my little apprentice?"

--

"Dude!" Beastboy fell back onto his bed laughing, soda nearly coming out of his nose. He and Raven sat on the top bunk of his bunk beds, just talking. It was hard to believe that they were so friendly towards each other now, and often sat around talking-just the two of them. "Are you serious? Dr. Light said that?"

"I'm not kidding," Raven tried to stifle her own laugh. "He really said that."

After a few minutes, Beastboy said, "You know, I think it's funny how we used to argue all the time and you would never come in my room."

"You weren't even allowed in mine, "Raven pointed out.

"Do you think it was Bo?" Beastboy barely realized he was inching closer to the girl. Boys, however, rarely acknowledged anything they did.

"Of course it was Bo," Raven rubbed her arm awkwardly. "I mean, it's just not Bo _anymore_ but, well, you know…" she now felt how close Beastboy was to her, and she had no desire to pull away.

She bit her bottom lip and then moved her own face closer, her hand already graving over his. It had been there for a while, this curiosity between them. They just wanted to see what it would be like. They had always been curious, and now they were there. Just as their lips started to touch, barely making contact, the alarm in the tower sounded.

To Be Continued…


	5. Puzzles

**Puzzles**

The Titans didn't even bother changing out of their pajamas as the alarm blared and the red lights flashed. Raven and Beastboy were the first to her bedroom, quickly followed by Starfire, Cyborg, and finally Robin. By the wall stood Slade, holding a struggling, screaming Bo. Though his face was hidden by a mask, they could tell he was smirking. The toddler stopped flailing for a moment, noticing the Titans, and squealed, "Mommy!".

Slade chuckled a bit, delicately fingering the dirty blonde hair of the child and cooed, "Which one is your 'mommy', my apprentice?"

"Release him!" Starfire commanded, her eyes glowing a bright green. "NOW!" She formed a ball of energy in each hand.

"It's funny, really, "Slade ignored the Tamarian girl as he continued to stroke Bo's hair. "I've tried everything to bring the five of you to your knees, completely at my mercy." His fingers trailed from the baby's head, to his cheek, all the way down to his arm. The Titans breaths caught in their throats as he suddenly squeezed the soft flesh between his gloved fingers, hard. "But all it really took was something as simple as a helpless being." Bo cried out and Raven lunged at the villain, her four eyes redder than blood. Beastboy, however, quickly grabbed her around the waist, the two of them falling to the ground. Raven kicked and elbowed him, but he did not let go.

"Raven, stop!" Beastboy grunted as he fought her blows. "It's what he _wants_ you to do!"

"Let me go!" Raven actually shrieked as she flailed against him. "He's hurting him!"

"Mommy!" Bo sobbed, starting to cough from crying so hard.

"Keep her restrained!" Robin told Beastboy as he lunged at Slade with a flying kick, still in his tshirt and boxer shorts. Starfire joined him, hurling star bolts. Slade, however, simply touched Bo's cheek and a scorching 's' suddenly appeared. The baby cried harder, coughing harder as well. Starfire and Robin stopped abruptly, as did Cyborg who had to quickly aim his cannon at the wall because he had been about to fire it.

"See what I mean?" Slade oozed. "Completely at my mercy." His one exposed eye narrowed over to Beastboy, who was growing weary of Raven's thrashing. "Let her go," he commanded softly. "Do you think she'll actually attack with the baby in my arms?"

Beastboy knew better than to actually do so. Raven would definitely attack Slade, and probably not even consider Bo. Not in her current state of mind. Things were blowing up all over the room as the half-demon girl kicked and screamed. Bo continued to cry, and Slade bounced him slightly. "Now, now, Apprentice. Enough of that. It's time to go." He turned to walk away, but paused. "Can you thank the Titans for taking such good care of you?"

"You are horrible," Starfire said bitterly, close to tears herself. She knew, however, that nothing could be done.

"You're not taking him!" Robin moved towards Slade again, but the masked man merely placed another abrasion on the baby's arm, causing him to cry out yet again. The Titan stopped. "You are one sick son of a bitch." He clenched his fists. "I mean it, Slade. When I get the chance, I am going to rip you apart."

"I like to hear that, Robin," Slade replied, walking away. "I really do."

He opened Raven's window and gracefully flung himself out, disappearing into the night. Beastboy then let Raven go and she immediately turned and slapped him across the face. It wasn't a light slap either. It actually echoed through the room. Robin knelt down beside the girl and said, "If you had actually attacked him, Bo would have been killed."

"I hate you!" Raven growled, her voice shuddering slightly. "I hate all of you! You just watched as he tortured him and did nothing!"

"We _couldn't_," Cyborg reminded her. "Every time we tried, he would do something to him."

Raven burst into tears at that, literally like a balloon being pricked with a needle. Great, heaping sobs emerged from her and she buried her face in her hands. Starfire, Robin and Cyborg stared at her, unsure of what to do. Beastboy, however, knelt down beside her and pulled her against him. Surprisingly, she didn't pull away. She just cried into his chest, clutching onto his tshirt. Beastboy stroked her hair and rubbed her back. "We're going to get him back, I promise."

"We most certainly will," Starfire added. "Slade will not keep him for long."

None of this seemed to console Raven and she continued to sob loudly, her face hidden. Beastboy said to the others, "Just give us a minute, she'll be okay."

Robin nodded and ordered, "Starfire, Cyborg, go get dressed. We have to track him down."

The three of them exited the room and Beastboy continued to rub Raven's back. He stroked some of her hair and told her, "I never break a promise, Rae. I'm serious."

Raven finally gained composure, or at least enough to look up, and Beastboy suddenly felt guilty. She had never looked so beautiful. Her eyes were glossy with tears and her cheeks were flushed. He bottom lip trembled and she was now making little gulping sounds. The boy brushed his thumb over a tear sliding down her cheek and leaned his forehead against hers. "We're going to get up and get dressed now, okay?"

Raven only nodded as Beastboy helped her up. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and shook her head slightly. "Sorry I'm such a mess."

--

"You seriously implanted a _dog_ chip in Bo?" Beastboy as Cyborg as they traveled the city, following the bionic Titan.

"It's not that big a deal," Cyborg replied. "Pretty soon all kids will have them."

"Please," Starfire peered at Cyborg's arm, which had a small, green blinking dot on it. "This 'chip' used in dogs, what is it used for?"

"It's incase somebody loses their pet," Robin explained. "If it goes missing, they can just track it down using the chip."

The Titans had to admit that it wasn't really a _bad_ idea, though they all agreed Cyborg should have discussed it with them first. As they walked down the deserted night streets, Raven trudged behind them, still depressed beyond belief. Beastboy slowed down a bit so he could match her dull pace. Raven said without even looking at him, "I'm sorry I slapped you. That was uncalled for."

"I didn't even feel it," Beastboy shrugged, but Raven could see the visible bruise left on his face. Gingerly, she raised her fingers and trailed them over the dark spot, as if erasing her mistake. Beastboy smiled slightly and took her hand in hers. He held his breath as they held hands for a moment, and his heart sped up when she did not let go.

"We're getting closer," Cyborg suddenly commented. It was then that Raven pulled away. She floated over to the Titan and peered at his arm. She then looked ahead to a partially dilapidated warehouse.

"This is where Slade resides secretly?" Starfire asked, squinching up her nose. "I always imagined he would be a bit more…" she didn't finish her sentence.

"It's probably underground," Robin replied. "Slade would never just sit around in a dump like this."

"He'll wish he had been when I'm done with him," Cyborg scoffed.

--

The Titans wasted no time rushing into the building, armed and ready to fight. They weren't all that surprised when nothing met them inside. It was dark and dusty. Starfire raised her arm to give light with her energy. Cyborg also turned on his flashlight. Robin asked him, "How far away is he?"

"Not far," Cyborg answered. "In fact, we should find him within a matter of minutes."

--

"Guys, c'mere!" Beastboy called from the far side of the building. "I think I found something!"

The other Titans caught up quickly and stared down at a neatly cut hole in the ground. It had been partially hidden by a crate. Robin nodded and one by one, the Titans jumped down into the darkness. It was a small room sparsely furnished with a desk, chair, and several papers scattered around. Some were tacked into the stained, wooden walls. Starfire and Cyborg used their lights to get a better look. Robin picked up one of the papers lying on the desk and squinted skeptically. Starfire floated above him, glancing over his shoulder.

"What is it ?" Starfire inquired.

"I'm not sure," Robin admitted. "It looks like some sort of chart graph or something."

"It's a DNA log," Cyborg explained, approaching them. "There's several of them in here, and get this-" he held up another sheet of paper. "This is a list of surrogate mothers and egg donors."

"But why?" Beastboy asked, staring at a picture of a woman random beside a detailed, descriptive paragraph. "What would Slade need with all of this?"

Raven walked over to the desk and opened one of the drawers. There was a thick, leather journal inside. She removed it and flipped it to a random page. Her brows furrowed as her eyes scanned pictures of an infant, each with a date handwritten beside it. She flipped another page and the baby seemed to grow and she flipped more and more. The pieces fell into place and she whipped her head around. "It's Bo."

"What's Bo?" Cyborg asked.

"Slade didn't kidnap him," Raven explained, pointing to one of the pictures in the journal. "He created him."

"But why?" Starfire asked. "Why not just abduct a child?"

"Yah," Robin agreed. "It would have been so much easier."

"I don't know," Raven put the journal down. "But we have to find Bo. Cyborg, how close is he?"

"Very," Cyborg answered, pointing ahead of him. "I'm pretty sure he's right behind that wall."

Starfire used her eyebeams to blast the wall, and as the dust settled from the cracking debris, the Titans gasped. There inside of an amber-colored cylinder was the lying figure of the toddler. He was curled up on his side, his thumb in his mouth. Raven slowly made her way over to the pod-like chamber and slowly sank to her knees, pressing her hands to the clear cover. Little Bo sucked his thumb, and even though he was asleep, tears still balanced on his long, blonde lashes. Starfire punched the casing, but it did nothing. Surprisingly, the baby did not even stir.

"Bo," Raven said quietly. She knocked on the glass. "Bo, c'mon, wake up."

"Perhaps he cannot hear us," Starfire suggested. She turned to Robin and asked, "What should we do?"

"Bo," Raven rested her forehead against the blockade. "We're going to get you out."

"Why don't you let me do that?"

The Titans turned to see Slade. He held up a remote control and pressed a button on it. The casing disappeared and Raven almost fell forward. She scooped up the child in her arms, but his head limply fell back, as did his arms. Raven cradled his head and said, "Bo, wake up."

"What did you do to him?" Robin growled, wielding his bo staff.

"Silly Titans," Slade purred, tossing the remote control onto the ground. "You've already figured out that I created him. Did you not think that I didn't control any part of him?" He eyed Robin. "When you were my apprentice, I had the power to destroy your friends from the inside out. When it was Terra, I had control of her nervous system." He looked at Raven. "And with this little wonder, I have control of his whole body. I control what pains him, when he's conscious…he is nothing more than a puppet, and I am his puppeteer."

Raven growled. "That's not true." She held the child close to her. "IT'S NOT!"

"Raven," Robin warned her quietly.

"Really now?" Slade snapped his fingers and little Bo's eyes fluttered open. He looked up Raven, grinning his semi-toothy grin and said, "Mommy."

"Hey you," Raven couldn't help but smile back.

Slade snapped his fingers again and Bo's eyes rolled back in his head as he lost consciousness once more. Raven, horrified, stared at the villain. She bit her bottom lip and asked, "Why?" She felt her throat clot. "Why like this?"

"Raven," Robin turned to her. "Don't give him what he wants."

"What _do_ you want?" The girl ignored Robin and continued to stare at Slade. "What will make you stop hurting him?!"

"Raven, my dear," the masked man gestured for her to come closer.

The Titans were shocked to see her actually do so. She approached him and Slade touched the toddler's forehead. His eyes opened again, and Slade began to take him from Raven, but she pulled him closer. "If you want him to be safe, "Slade started, and Raven let go. The villain touched one of the abrasions on his arm, and it disappeared completely. He did this to all of them, and in a matter of seconds, one would have never guessed they had ever been there. Slade handed him back to her. He stroked some of her hair and said, "I think we both know what's best for him, and if you want what's best for him, then I suggest you keep the one who keeps him happy, even happier."

"Raven, no!" Robin snarled.

"You mean," Raven looked down, and then back at him. "Work for you?"

"We could be like one little happy family," Slade's eyes glittered in the dark. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and slowly let it slide down her arm, squeezing it slightly.

"She will do no such thing!" Starfire's eyes glowed.

Raven turned to the others. "I'm sorry," she said softly, hugging the baby.

To Be Continued…


	6. Just As We'd Thought

Just As We'd Thought

"What do you mean?" Starfire asked quietly as Raven hung her head. "Raven, surely you are not serious about-"

Raven ignored Starfire and approached Beastboy. She swallowed hard, and blinked back tears. She handed him the baby and said, "I hate to do it, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep him safe." She took a step back and covered her mouth with her hands, shaking her head slightly. "Take care of him for me, okay?"

"Raven," Beastboy sighed. "You don't have to do this. There are other ways."

Bo sucked his thumb, looking between Beastboy and Raven solemnly. Raven fingered some sweaty strands of hair on his head, and leaned forward to kiss his forhead. "Remember," she told Beastboy. "He's just as much your kid as he is mine."

--

"I can't believe she did that!" Cyborg commented as the Titans sat in the living room of their tower. "Raven! Of all people!"

"It's totally believable," Beastboy replied, coming out of Raven's room where he had put the baby to sleep. "When you love somebody, you're willing to do anything to save them. Remember the Trigon incident?" He turned to Robin. "Or how about when you were Slade's apprentice?"

"We have to save her," Robin sighed. "There has to be some way."

"Maybe it would have been best if Bo had never come into our lives, "Starfire remarked quietly, looking towards the window.

"No," Robin shook his head. "We're not even going there. Bo's here. What's done is done. We can't go back in time, only forward." He sat on the arm of the couch and massaged his forehead with his fingertips. "And what we need to focus on is getting Raven back home."

--

"Are you apprehensive?" Slade asked as he watched Raven's backside, her arms crossed. "About being my apprentice?" When the girl didn't answer, the masked man moved closer, nearly at her side. "I must say, Raven, I wasn't expecting _you_ to become so attached to my little creation. I was hoping for Robin, but you are worthy fighter." He touched her shoulder, and became slightly annoyed when she didn't even flinch. He huffed. "Please look at me when I'm speaking to you."

Raven looked at him, but still said nothing. Her arms remained crossed, her eyes cold and unfeeling. It was obvious to Slade that she felt no fear towards him. He gripped her shoulder firmly and lowered his voice. "You can swell up all you want, Young lady, but you are _here_ now and you _chose_ that path."

"I wonder if they remembered to give Bo his allergy medicine before he went to bed," Raven finally said, turning away again. "He's had a pretty nasty cold the past few days."

"Stop playing games," Slade growled.

"Raising a child is _not_ a game!" Raven snapped, glaring at him. "Are you so immature that you can't see that? Didn't you have children?"

Slade froze, and so did Raven. They both knew they'd touched a nerve. It was something everyone knew, but nobody ever spoke of. Raven saw the anger in his eyes, and she shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry."

The man struck her across the face, making her stumble slightly. "You're damn right you're sorry!" He growled.

Before Raven could even touch the mark on her face, Slade stormed over to her and grabbed a fistful of her violet hair. "If you want the child to live, then I'd suggest you keep your mouth shut about things you don't know about." He then released her hair and shoved her abruptly. She fell forward, bracing herself with her hands.

"Now," Slade held out his hand. "Give me your communicator."

Raven hesitated. Slade snapped his fingers, indicating he had done something to Bo. Raven felt around the inside pocket of her cloak and retrieved the device. She used her powers to slide it across the floor. It was stopped by the villain's boot. He knelt down and picked it up, tucking it away in his own pocket. "Atta girl, Raven, but when I want something from you, I prefer you _bring _it to me." He eyed her. "Are we clear?"

Raven looked away.

"Do I have to hurt somebody before you obey me? Slade started to snap his fingers.

"Yes, we're clear!" Raven exclaimed.

"Yes, _what_, Raven?" Slade kept his fingers in position.

"Yes, _sir_," Raven said quietly, but bitterly. She was still down on the floor, and Slade put his hand down. "Get up," he ordered.

Raven stood up, shielding her face with the hood of her cloak. She'd always assumed she was the least afraid of Slade, but now, here alone with him, it was different. Even when he sought her out on behalf of her father, she still hadn't been scared of him, just Trigon.

"Come here," he said, a little less harshly.

Raven timidly did so and Slade pulled down her hood. He said, "You know, Raven, there's something that draws me to Robin-makes me addicted almost."

"We've noticed," Raven replied dryly, trying not to flinch as Slade touched her hair. He did not pull like before, but lightly brushed two fingers through it.

"But there's something about _you_ as well," he remarked. "Maybe it's the darkness in you." He removed his fingers and stared into her dark, blue eyes. "Maybe I see a lot of myself in you."

Raven made a face like he'd caught her in the arm with a needle. Slade's eyes glittered behind his mask.

"I am _nothing_ like you," she whispered, sounding like she was trying to convince herself rather than Slade.

Speaking of Slade, his hand was now back on Raven, or his hands rather, and Raven quickly pulled away as she realized he was feeling the curves of her waist.

"Do you want the child to live?" He asked, grabbing her wrist.

"You can't be serious!" Raven ripped her arm away. She flew a good three feet back and glowered at him.

"Oh, I'm very serious," Slade purred. "And who knows? You may actually enjoy this side of me."

"I don't enjoy anything about you," Raven pulled her cloak tightly around her. "And you're insane if you think I'd do _anything_ with you."

"If you insist on being stubborn," Slade began to snap his fingers . "That's alright with me, but think of the baby. Is it alright with _him_?" He snapped his fingers harder, faster. "What matters more, Raven?"

Ther girl's eyes brimmed with tears, but she would not let them fall. Not now. She knew, however, that Slade wasn't bluffing. She could easily sense Bo's pain. But could she really do something like this for any reason? For anyone? She felt so naked all of a sudden, so violated, so alone.

"Stop it," she said quietly.

"What was that?" Slade continued to snap.

"Stop." Raven felt nauseous. Her emotions were beginning to churn. "Stop it now." The snapping continued and finally Raven cried out, "I'll do it!"

The man's finger stopped in mid snap. "Good girl, Raven."

--

"Dah bo bee bah boo!" Bo giggled and chewed on the cords that were attached to him. Cyborg had decided to run all of the tests he could think of, trying to figure out how Slade controlled him.

"Please, Bumgorf," Starfire removed the wire from his mouth. "You might incorrect the tests if you eat the wiring."

"Anything yet?" Robin asked Cyborg, absent-mindedly placing the baby's busy hands in his lap and holding them there with one of his hands. Bo chewed on his glove, but Robin didn't seem to notice.

"Nothing," Cyborg sighed. "The only thing I could possibly come up with is magic, or a spell." He looked at Bo. "But even that doesn't seem logical. Slade doesn't have powers like that."

"Perhaps he has learned them from someone like he did with the Trigon?" Starfire suggested.

"No," Beastboy walked over to the baby and began removing the suctions. "Slade's a cut and dry science guy. There's something we're just over-looking. I know there is."

"But what could it be?" Starfire picked up the baby and showered him with kisses. "There are no chips, no nano-probes, no anything."

"Wait a minute," Cyborg rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe we're looking in the wrong place." He took Bo from her. "I remember when Bo started teething, he bit me. It felt like a jolt when he bit my arm every time." He stuck one of his mechanical fingers in Bo's mouth and as if on cue, the toddler bit down. Cyborg grinned. "Like it did just now!" He excitedly motioned for the others. "Clear the kitchen table! Hurry!"

The baby screamed as Robin layed him on the table. Starfire held his arms, Robin held his ankles. Cyborg pried open his mouth with two fingers, and Beastboy shined a flashlight over him.

"Please, Bo," Starfire soothed. "Friend Cyborg means you no harm. He merely wants to see your teeth."

"What's it look like?" Robin asked.

"So far," Cyborg said. "Everything looks normal. He peered closely into the baby's mouth. "Aha! Here we go!" He turned to Beastboy. "I need something tiny, like a sewing needle or safety pin."

"Dude!" Beastboy's eyes widened. "What are you gonna do to him?"

"There's something small and metal," Cyborg explained. "It's in his top jaw tooth. It looks like it's the size of a grain of salt or something, but it's there. I might be able to scrape it out."

"So there is a control chip," Robin nodded. He leaned down and kissed the baby's head. "Settle down, Bo. It's going to be okay."

Beastboy walked over to Robin and said, "You go get the needle, I'll stay here with him." He leaned over and said quietly to the baby, "You' re bien, pequeño hermano."

--

About fifteen minutes later, Robin held up a tiny silver speck on his finger tip. The chip. Cyborg stuck it in his computer, and numerous numbers and symbols appeared on the large scanner screens.

"Just as I thought. The chip had control right up to his brain," the Titan said. "but it's gone now." He smiled at Bo. "You're good to go, Dude."

"Now we have to go get Raven," Beastboy told them. "We have to go now."

"But who will look after Bo?" Starfire asked.

"We'll take him with us," Beastboy replied.

To Be Continued…


	7. Promises

**Promises**

_"C'mere, you goofy boy!" He growled playfully the toddler around the waist from behind, tossing him in the air and catching him, attacking him with nipping kisses, still pretending to growl. Bo squealed and laughed and when the Titan put him down, he ran to another, hugging her legs. She picked him up and rolled her eyes, fixing the collar of his shirt. He rested his head on her chest and sucked his thumb._

Raven thought of this, and many more memories as she sat on the floor of the bathroom, her cloak over her head and wrapped around her drawn-up knees. She would not come out. She couldn't. She rested her head on her knees and closed her eyes, trying to stop trembling. For the first time in her life, aside from the ordeal with Trigon, Raven was truly afraid. She felt small and helpless. Even though she was wearing shorts and a tank-top, _and_ her cape, she felt completely naked. It was every feeling of despair in existence, existing in her.

_"You are crazy," She chuckled as she lay on her bed, the baby beside her. He pretended to hide under her blanket, but would frequently pop out and say, "Boo!". She tickled him with her index finger and kissed him. "Go to sleep, You."_

"Raven." A single knock sounded at the door. "I am a patient man, but not _that_ patient." It was Slade's oozing voice. "Whether you decide to hold up your end of the bargain or not, you cannot hide in there forever." There was silence. "What's your choice, my dear? Should I do away with the child? Is he really that distracting?"

Raven didn't answer, didn't move. Maybe he would just go away. It was unlikely, but not impossible. She jumped slightly as she heard him give the door a good kick, and she backed up further against the wall, though there wasn't much room to begin with. She had just stood up, considering escape, when the door was successfully kicked in and Slade stood menacingly in the small doorway. Raven flew up, and Slade grabbed her by the arm.

"I won't do it!" The girl said, pulling away. "I won't!"

"You already agreed," Slade tugged her down effortlessly. "I'm not one for changes of heart."

"Let me go!" Raven fought against him, but he was so much stronger. She kicked and used her powers, but nothing was working. "I won't!"

Slade slammed her against the wall with one hand, and used the other to rip her cloak clean off her neck. Raven screamed, and he covered her mouth. "If you cooperate, _little girl_, I might make this easier on you." His free hand slid under her shirt, grazing her ribcage. Raven, who was still trying to kick, lost her footing awkwardly around his large boots and fell on her bottom. She elbowed his thick leg, squeezing past him, and took flight out of the small bathroom.

"Raven!" She flew right into Starfire, who had also been flying. The Tamaranian girl rubbed her head slightly where they had collided and said, "We have been looking for you."

The other girl didn't answer, but instead took her hand and kept flying until they met the others down below. Raven normally had a fair complexion anyway, but now she just looked ghostly pale. Relief and fear filled her at once and she felt tears slide down her cheeks.

"Raven?" Beastboy stepped forward and Raven threw her arms around him, beginning to sob. Beastboy realized she was shaking, hard. He held her tighter and over her shoulder, exchanged equally confused glances with the other Titans.

"Where's Slade?" Robin asked, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Right here, Robin." Slade stepped forward, holding Raven's cloak, which was ripped at the top. "My, my, Raven. Aren't you a lucky girl?"

"Shut up!" Beastboy snarled, his hold on Raven tightening. "What did you do to her?!"

"Mommy?"

Raven looked up abruptly, hearing the familiar little voice, and saw Bo peeking up from Cyborg's back where he held him in a baby-saddle. The toddler's eyes glittered and he flashed his trademark toothy smile. The girl removed herself from Beastboy and used her powers to bring Bo down into her arms. He hugged her, and she hugged back, feeling all the fear leave her at once. She kissed the baby over and over and her tears made his face and hair soggy.

"How touching," Slade remarked in his eerie droll. "Too bad it won't last for long." He snapped his fingers, and Raven closed her eyes.

"Nice try, Slade." Robin smirked. "Your control over him is over."

Starfire nodded. "You are the loser yet again."

"But…." Raven looked at the baby. "How?" She then turned to each of the Titans.

"My, what clever young scholars you are." Slade approached Robin, placing a firm grip on his shoulder. "You can do _anything_, can't you?" The boy pulled away, and Slade calmly walked over to Raven, who took a step backwards. The villain eyed Bo, and the toddler. He started to touch him with his finger, and Raven backed away even further. "NO."

--

"I can't believe Slade just left like that," Beastboy said as he closed the door to his bedroom. He made his way back to his bed-the bottom bunk this time, where Raven was already sitting, Bo asleep in her lap.

"He's not gone," she replied. "He always comes back. Bo will always be one of his targets." She stroked his cheek and looked back up at the other Titan.

"Well," Beastboy shrugged. "We'll just have to protect him forever then." He fell onto his back and sighed. "Forever used to seem like a long time, huh?" He eyed Raven.

"What do you mean?" Raven asked, cocking an eyebrow. "It still seems like a long time, doesn't it?"

"Well," Beastboy explained. "We only got Bo a few months ago, and sometimes it seems like he's always been here, but then it sometimes feels like it's only been a few days." He sat up. "Don't you think so?" Before Raven could answer, he took the sleeping baby from her and carefully laid him down beside the pair.

"I guess so," Raven shrugged. She caught Beastboy in the corner of her eye moving closer, and she swallowed hard. Her cheeks flushed and suddenly she felt just as she had before Slade abducted Bo. She had been so curious. What was it like? Would it ruin their friendship? Would it forever change their lives? Would it-her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Beastboy's lips brushed against hers, and for the first time in her life, her mind was silent. The doubts ceased. The worries disappeared. The fear and unhappiness melted into reassurance and warmth. She closed her eyes and leaned closer, her lips evenly slipping against his. Beastboy's hands wrapped around the girl's neck, and in the sudden bliss, Raven pulled him closer. Their mouths separated an instant later, and Beastboy smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry." He shrugged. "I was curious."

Bo stirred slightly, making a little grunting sound, and the two Titans laughed. Normally, if it were a pair like Robin and Starfire, they would have spent the next hour or so cuddling or kissing even more, but this was Raven and Beastboy, and a kiss itself was a gigantic step into something more than friendship. So Raven picked up the baby, and left the room. She put Bo in his crib, and though it was not impossible for Slade to go after the child again, it was unlikely. At least tonight. She crawled into her own bed and sighed heavily.

"_A baby?"_ _She sighed heavily as she stared at the toddler, unsure of what to do with him. Why couldn't one of the others have stayed behind to watch him? Whose kid was this anyway? Should she just wake up Beastboy and have him handle it? Beastboy…taking care of a child? She sat on the floor across from him and waved a few of her fingers. The baby smiled at her and waved back. Raven smiled slightly. She had never known a baby to smile at her. She sat on the floor with him a while longer, and pretty soon she felt herself relaxed and enjoying everything about the cute, little creature. She kissed him for the hundredth time that first hour, and stopped when she spotted Beastboy eyeing her from the back of the sofa._

Maybe Bo had been just what they all needed, what _she _needed. As soon as Raven fell asleep, Beastboy crept into her room, first kneeling beside the crib in the wall, raising the bars quietly. He leaned over the sleeping child and kissed him gently. He rumpled his hair. "Sleep tight, Bojangles. Daddy loves you." He then walked over to Raven's bed, where she was sleeping soundly too. He leaned down and kissed her too. "I promise that I love you too, Raven. And I never break a promise. I'm serious."

Raven stirred slightly, but not much. Beastboy smoothed out part of her blanket and quietly left the room.

--

_"You are perfect," His mommy said as she showered him with kisses._

_"C'mere, you goofy boy!" His daddy growled playfully as he attacked him with kisses._

Bo smiled as he sucked his thumb, dreaming.

The End…

**Author's note:** I know that ended a bit abruptly, but I see a sequel on the horizon. I mean, I just don't think I could have done anything more at this point, but there most likely will be a sequel. It'll probably take place a few years after this fic. I'm not sure. Be looking for it, though! And thanks to everyone who kept up and reviewed! I really appreciate it!


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